I just wrote a huge response to this, but decided it was just too long, so will give the short version instead!
I recently graduated with a phd
I did badly in school, AS was not known at that point, in junior school I was in the special needs class as my behavior was odd and I didnt communicate verbally much, although I did ok in most academic subjects and was ahead in maths and science. I went to a selective private senior school (as at 10 I absorbed information and did well on iq tests so was offered a place) They had no measures for dealing with any type of special needs and put everything down to attention seeking and general bad behaviour. Life was barely tolerable.
I eventually got some very low passes at a level. I was expected to go to university, although I never would have survived there, but found an agricultural collage that had a course on fish farming and my special interest happens to be fish!
Life was still very difficult, but I did manage to do well academically at the course and transfered onto their degree program. I also spent time helping out in the fish house and they let me keep my fish there.
At the end, I didnt have the confidence even to try for a job, so I thought I would see if I could get onto a masters course. I did , but it was at a 'proper' if low ranking university. It was huge and in the middle of an ugly city, the supervision was not very good and I wanted to get out of there. The course was 3 months taught work and 9 months research. One of the other students introduced me to a researcher at a fish farm in the highlands of scotland and he offered me a project for my research component at the farm. It was beautiful up there, 5 miles to the nearest village which was about 10 houses, a small shop and a pub. I only had my bike so I lived on the farm in a caravan. I said I would like to help out on the farm as well as the project (as there was not that much else to do there!) and worked hard. My supervisor there was lovely and even included me in the weekly meetings.
Towards the end of my project, I spoke to my supervisor (at the farm) about what I should do next, he suggested a phd, although I didnt think I would be good enough. But he sugested having a look at a few university sites. I found a list of studentships and said I liked the look of one particular title, he helped me put my cv in order and I applied and got an interview.
I didnt expect to get it, but thought I would give it a go, I got into the interview and found one of the other researchers from the farm on the interview panel! It went very badly, I thought never mind, something else will come up and went back to the hotel. 20 minutes after getting in, the land lady said I had a phone call, and it was them offering me the position! They never officially said, but I must have been offered it because of my references rather than my interview technique! (It really is who you know, not what you know)
During the phd, my mental health deteriorated. I felt very threatened by the academics and other students, I had always been told that the older you get and the higher you get in academia, the more you are likely to meet people like myself, but all the students were 'perfect' (of course they werent but that is how I describe them in my head) They had sports tournaments, gave seminars at international conferences, went out to pubs every friday evening etc etc. My supervisor was lovely and patient, but towards the end even she was sick of the sight of me. It took me double the time it takes most uk students to finish. I was only diagnosed with AS in December, before then I had always been told I had mental health problems but was never told an official diagnosis, so I told the university disability service this and gave them a note from the psychiatrist. This meant that they had to make allowances for me - I still had to do the work but they would have had a hard time throwing me out as that would look bad for them, so they left me to it, and it is not in my nature to give up.
Sorry, even the short version has turned out long! I think I wanted to make the point that you dont have to be a straight A student all the way through school to do a phd, if you manage to find a subject that you are very interested in that you can start at a lower level and work your way up. I think it may be harder in the American system though, but Im not sure. But in the UK, there are lots of vocational courses that count as the same level as GCSEs, A levels etc.
There again, although I now have a phd, I am currently unemployable - the post doc level jobs would not accept me due to the amount of time it has taken me to finish and poor references (and a lot of other factors), anything below would say I am over qualified. I would happily give up my qualifications for the chance to have a friend, perhaps a partner and be less miserable. All qualifications show is that ability to study one particular area, they dont make you a better person or more likable.
17 Feb 2010, 11:59 pm
I've got nothing! no education OR trade and I'm not ashamed to admit it. doesn't make me any lesser of a person. 
Hell some of the smartest people I've had contact with are unbelievably dumb eg the health care profession as an example ,again and again I was seconded guessed by them and all along I was right !
